Chandigarh University row: Another video found, not objectionable, court told
A massive protest had erupted on Chandigarh University campus on Saturday around 4pm after “rumours” that objectionable videos of several girl students were recorded by a hosteller, following which police had arrested a woman inmate, her boyfriend, and a third accused. Court sent the trio to seven-day police custody on Monday.
A day after maintaining that only one video had surfaced in the Chandigarh University ‘video leak’ row, and that too, of the accused woman, police on Monday stated in court that another video, though not of an objectionable nature, of a girl in the hostel washroom had been found on the phone of one of the men arrested in the case.
Seeking a 10-day remand of the three accused – a 22-year-old woman student and two men – the police stated that they suspect the involvement of a fourth person, who may have been blackmailing the woman student.
The court, however, granted the police seven-day custody of the trio.
“We want to investigate how many more are part of their gang. So far, we have leads about the involvement of a fourth person, who, it seems, was blackmailing the woman student, who had sent an objectionable video to her boyfriend in Shimla,” stated the police in the court.
Police also found out that the two men had received calls from Gujarat and Mumbai too, and they are trying to ascertain if there is an international angle to the case.
“We are trying to ascertain if the videos were sent abroad, and if this was done for financial gains,” said the police.
Police are also investigating if the man arrested from Shimla had stored any videos on other devices, which are yet to be recovered.
The lawyer, who appeared for the accused, also accepted that a video of another girl student was shot in the washroom of the hostel, but it was not of objectionable nature.
Trio’s phones handed over to forensics team
Police said the phones of all three accused are now with the forensics team.
“We have confiscated the mobile phones of all three accused and handed it over to the forensic team to ascertain whether they deleted any videos or chats among each other,” said the police.
The cyber cell of Mohali is also looking into whether any video has been leaked locally or not.
Students leave for home as varsity shut till Sept 24
Meanwhile, most students on campus left for home as the varsity has been shut down till September 24 in wake of the controversy. The varsity authorities also suspended both wardens of the hostel.
A massive protest had erupted on campus on Saturday around 4pm after “rumours” that objectionable videos of several girl students were recorded by a hosteller, following which police had arrested the woman, her boyfriend in Shimla, and a third accused. They were booked under Section 354-C (voyeurism) of the Indian Penal Code and Section 66(E) of the IT Act.
The students, meanwhile, agreed to end the protest on campus around 1.30 am on Monday after assurances from the varsity authorities.
The students primarily had three demands – that a 10-member committee of students be given updates about the case, the wardens of the hostel be suspended, and a thorough checking of the girls’ hostel be carried out. The varsity also assured the students that they would replace the students’ mobile phones that were broken during demonstrations, and that the doors of the girls’ hostel would be replaced.
